Egypt’s National Council for Women (NCW), its President Maya Morsy and all its members, offered their congratulations to Nemat Shafik, for her appointment as President of Columbia University, becoming the first woman to hold that position in the history of the prestigious university.
Dr Morsy expressed her happiness at Ms Shafik’s appointment, saying that Egypt is proud of her as an Egyptian-born woman who realised great achievements. She describer Ms Shafik as “a singular role-model for Egyptian women; a great daughter of the Egyptian civilisation”, remarking that her appointment proves Egyptian women are qualified to rank in senior positions in all fields.
Nemat Talaat Shafik, Baroness Shafik, DBE, Hon FBA, also known as Minouche Shafik, was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1962. She was taken to the US a few months later by her family who had lost their wealth to President Gamal Abdel-Nasser’s nationalisation and socialist policy. She now holds US, UK, and Egyptian citizenship.
By the age of 36, Ms Shafik had become the youngest ever Vice President of the World Bank. She served as Deputy Governor of the Bank of England from 2014 to 2017, later becoming Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.
Since 2017, Ms Shafik has been serving as President and Vice Chancellor of the London School of Economics since September 2017. Beginning on July 2023, she will serve as the president of Columbia University.
For her services in public administration and global economy, Ms Shafik was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2015.
Watani International
23 January 2023
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